pN THE JiOCAL DISTRIBUTION OF SOME TAS, 

 HAITIAN ANIMALS. 



By Morton Allpobt, F.L.S,, F,^.S. 



Every person who takes the slightest interest in our 

 natural history must have observed many instances of local 

 distribution, of birds especially, which are often ui^account-? 

 able, but which, nevertheless, carry with them very useful 

 lessons as to the difficulties of establishing new forms of 

 animal life, in a country already occupied, without great 

 danger to the original occupants. 



Many of the Fellows of this Society must have noticed the 

 absence (till lately) from our suburbs of the black and white 

 or whistling Magpie (G-ymnorhina organicwn) ^ the Miner 

 (Myzanthci/ garrula), and the Eosella parrot (Flatycercu$ 

 eximiits). From the earliest days of Hobart Town till ^ fevr 

 years ago, these three birds were unknown, as residents, on 

 the Hobart Town side of the Derwent, from Glenorchy to the 

 Huon, although much of the country lying between these 

 places is apparently similar to that inhabited by the same 

 birds at a distance. So marked was this absence in the case 

 of the Magpie and Eosella that Mr. Grould, the celebrated 

 ornithologist, specially refers to it in his recently published 

 handbook on the birds of Australia. 



In 1860 a pair of Miners established themselves at New 

 Town, and since that year several whistling Magpies and 

 more Miners have built their nests in the domain. Eosella 

 parrots are now frequently seen there also, but I have not 

 yet ascertained whether they are more than casual visitors. 



The long absence of these birds from country apparently 

 well adapted for them cannot be accounted for by the mere 

 presence of houses in the neighborhood, as the same rule 

 would apply to country towns and farm houses generally, yet 

 all three birds are found in great numbers in such situations. 



The Surveyor- Greneral, Mr. Calder, to whom I am greatly 

 indebted for information as to the habits of many of our 

 native creatures, and who has at one time or another visited 

 almost all parts of the island, has remarked the very narrow 

 range of locality occupied by numbers of our animals, in some 

 cases evidently due to the different physical aspect of the 

 country as regards climate, soil, vegetation, <fec., but in many 



